About Last Night: COOK Masters Program Graduation Dinner


Yesterday was the final meeting for the first class of the COOK Masters Program, and what better way to put a cap on things than by having all the students get together and use what they’d learned to cook a mock service while being judged by local food writers, chefs and critics and bossed around behind the line by Michael Solomonov?

Yeah, nothing like an easy last day of classes, right?

Still, the 9 students that made it to the end of the program did a good job putting everything together. And while there were some stumbles, one thing was clear: There are now 9 very well-trained, well-rounded and well-connected new cooks on the Philly scene looking for kitchens in which to kick ass. And here’s a little bit of good news for those of you who didn’t make the cut for the first semester: COOK is doing it all again, starting very soon. So keep your eyes on Foobooz early next week for details on the new semester of the COOK Masters Program.

In the meantime, though, check out these snaps shot by COOK’s photographer and Friend of Foobooz, Yoni Nimrod.

The menu, to be served to roughly 12 people at 4 tables with multiple options for each course. All while being watched by…

…this guy. He just LOVED having a photographer tailing him through the kitchen.

Salmon with braised cabbage and potato puree–rustic yet refined, and with a little nod to Joel Robuchon.

Chicken with chicken pastilla and green beans. A simple plate, but very well executed (save the carrot brunoise inside the pastilla). The weird thing? It came with no sauce, and all these chefs in training had recently gone through an intensive sauce class with…

…Peter Woolsey of Bistrot La Minette, who showed up to see how his students handled themselves in the kitchen. And to have honey shots poured into him by Michael Solomonov, which TOTALLY wasn’t weird at all.

Dessert. Because in this day and age everyone needs to know how to make a molten chocolate cake.

COOK [Official]

Yoni Nimrod Photography [Official]